<Anchor> In



Tonga, an island country in the South Pacific, the day (15th), a volcano under the sea erupted. Its power was so great that it even changed the instantaneous barometric pressure of our country 8,800 km away. It may be recorded as the most powerful volcanic eruption in the 21st century, but communication in Tonga has not been restored and the exact extent of damage is not known.



This is reporter Jung Gu-hee.



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Tonga lost contact with the outside world for three days as an underwater volcanic eruption 65 km from land covered with ash and steam.



[Maris Payne/Australian Foreign Minister: If the submarine cable is damaged, recovery can be very difficult.]



Tonga is located in the Pacific Rim orogeny, a ring of fire, and this volcano has also erupted several times since 2009.



This is because the Pacific Plate is sinking toward Tonga among the plates that cover the Earth.



When one plate moves under another plate, friction and pressure melt the rock, producing magma, which erupts to the surface and becomes a volcano.



This volcano erupted under water, pushing out the surrounding seawater with a lot of water vapor, causing a tsunami.



In addition, momentary changes in atmospheric pressure were detected around the world.



In Seoul, about 0.1% of atmospheric pressure, or about 1 hPa, rose momentarily.



Volcanoes are graded from 0 to 8 according to the magnitude of the eruption, and the Tonga volcano is estimated to be grade 4 to 5.



It has the potential to be classified as the most powerful volcanic eruption of the 21st century.



In the case of the 1991 Pinatubo Volcano eruption in the Philippines, which received a rating of 6, ash covered the sky, lowering the global average temperature by 0.5°C.



Volcano in Tonga is concerned about ash damage following a low-lying tsunami.



Volcanic ash can seriously damage people's respiratory tract and eyes, and contaminate drinking water sources, leading to water shortages.



In addition, strong acid rain may fall due to the large amount of sulfur dioxide emitted, so it is imperative to prepare for damage.



(Video editing: Park Jin-Hoon, screen provided by USGS·NASA Goddard)